Governor Reynolds says she has settled on the level of funding growth for Iowa’s public schools. Although inflation nationwide stands at 2.7 percent, Reynolds’ plan would raise per-student funding by 2 percent for the 2026–27 academic year. In an interview with KTIV Siouxland, she noted that this matches the increase she put forward the previous year. In 2025, Reynolds and state lawmakers approved extra money for transportation and other school-related costs. She added that districts should review how they used pandemic relief funds and emphasized that those dollars were not intended to support permanent expenses.
